This episode is late due to Jonah having to do some film work, but this show also has some huge news items as well.
The news items this week includes:
Let us know what you think in the comments section.
[Note: Due to a mic issue, some of the podcast is slightly distorted.]
This week’s podcast was recorded a day early due to schedule conflicts, but we make up for it with an actual Gaming Flashback this week of one of the most famous recent RPGs, Knights of the Old Republic.
In addition, there’s a ton of news:
All that plus Reader Feedback and a Question of the Week: “What was the first roleplaying game you enjoyed?”
UK developer David Braben from Frontier Developments believes smaller development studios are in the worse position when it comes to re-sale of “pre-owned” video games. Since a developer only gets their cut of the profits when a game is sold new, pre-owned titles allow gamers to play games without paying the developer for the effort.
This also hurts larger publishers, but they’re able to recover because of the sheer volume of games and game titles. One idea David had, was to code each game with a unique license key like a PC game that gamers must enter before playing. This would kill the ability to re-sell video games back to the market for others to buy at a cheaper price (translation: better value).
The future shows a higher degree of downloadable games, which cannot be re-used or sold back to the market, but for now, developers have to deal with pre-owned video games cutting into their profit. Presumably you could have a great game with smaller sales and a high degree of resale in the pre-owned market.
Problem with this take on development? Besides large scale video game sellers like GameStop making 80% profit margins on resold games (rather than a 10-15% on new), gamers want a way to make back some of their money on expensive titles. When you’re paying $60 for a game and you beat it in a week or two, you want to resell it so you can invest in a future title.
My theory… make games more affordable so we don’t feel gouged on the price. We may decide to hold on to it longer and tell our friends about it. A good game reference and a reasonable price will increase sales every time. Don’t try to solve pre-owned problems when the problem is the publisher and the industry making huge game prices.
(Thanks, Kotaku)
Thanks to a screwup with recording, Episode 307 will have to be redone next week. However, this doesn’t mean there won’t be any show.
Instead, the second Dr. Who Special Episode is in its place, with outtakes taken after the show with Jordan, Jennifer and Paul discussing Dr. Who in the past four weeks. In short, they feel the quality is starting to slip.
I can’t wait for Wasteland 3! Huge fan of the original and 2, and can’t wait to see how vehicles come into play.
Also am really excited for Torment: Tides of Numenera, too.